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Visitor Comments: 19

(13)
Y.B.,
May 24, 2013 7:24 AM

overall nicely presented but should leave out a few unsavory expressions

B.S.D. In the highly sensitive ethical and moral climate of the world today such derogatory statements about the founders of a few of the faiths mentioned are totally inappropriate and very inflammatory. Judaism needs to keep its focus of elevating people towards the truth not through low blow bashing. Other than that your presentation is very nicely presented.

(12)
sharona,
May 17, 2013 8:09 AM

amazing

Good analysis of a mass group in an Unbroken chain that survived to pass it down

(11)
Andre Ranulfo,
May 17, 2013 3:45 AM

:)

I heard this argument before... but your way are so much cooler!!!!

(10)
Jim,
May 14, 2013 1:19 PM

Clear and concise

Bravo!

(9)
Joey,
May 14, 2013 4:47 AM

I have heard these arguments before, but you added some interesting insights. Thank you and God bless!

(8)
d. smith,
May 14, 2013 1:04 AM

origins of 'christianity'

That from which christianity sprung well preceeded Paul. Neither did he claim to be the originator.

Andre,
May 17, 2013 3:52 AM

Before Paul

Christianism as we have today started with Paul. Before him, was sort of jews who believed that Jesus was the Machach.

(7)
Anonymous,
May 13, 2013 11:56 PM

alienating

I am concerned that making fun of people with epilepsy is more than just merely politically incorrect, it is really insensitive. Epilepsy is not a mental illness, it is a seizure disorder, and mohamed's "vision" may very well have been a hallucination, has nothing to do with epilepsy. (Not that it is okay to make fun of people with mental illness either.)

(6)
Anonymous,
May 13, 2013 7:56 AM

WHAT ABOUT THE MOSHIACH THEORY?

I LIKED THE LECTURE AND IT DID MAKE SENSE TO ME.. NOT ALL... NOT REALLY THE "GOD" SPEAKING PART.. BUT MOVING ON.. I AM A JEW...I DON'T BELIEVE EVERY MIRACLE IN THE .TORAH, AND I GO THROUGH MY "THERE IS A GOD-THERE IS NO GOD" .PERIODS. SOMETIMES I PRAY..BUT OFTEN I WONDER TO WHOM I AM PRAYING TO.. I LOVE THE HISTORY, I LOVE THE TRADITIONS AND I KEEP "DOING" THE YIDDISHKEIT" AND STILL KEEP UP THE TRADITIONS..I FEEL I AM CONNECTED, BOUNDED TO THE JEWISH PEOPLE.. THOUGH I A NOT AN ORTHODOX JEW..I GUESS THE SLOGAN "JUST DO IT" WOULD APPLY TO ME.. I JUST DO IT.. SOMETIMES I "FEEL" IT..SOMETIMES I DON'T. iNOW,KEEPING IN MIND YOUR EXPLANATION CONCERNING THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE JEWISH RELIGION..HOW AND WHERE DOES THE "COMING OF THE MOSHIACH" HOLD UP? iWOULDN'T THIE S BPART OF TFHE FUTURE THEORY? I MEAN HERE WE ARE STILL WAITING.. THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR IDEAS WITH US.. SHAVUAH TOV!

JD,
May 13, 2013 11:22 PM

Moshiach/future theory

Good point. I think the answer is, 1) the Judaism of today is based on the Sinai event which happened in the past. 2) Any changes to Judaism in the future (for example following Shammai instead of Hillel after moshiach) are not supposed to be followed now. If we were already doing things nobody heard yet, and believed it's because moshiach will say it later, then it would be future theory.

Anonymous,
May 14, 2013 7:22 AM

re moshiach

@anonymous - The point was, that today Judaism says the revelation already happened. That cannot be explained by the future theory, by a promise of a revelation. Therefore we reduce the options to be either past or present theory.

(5)
freeda,
May 12, 2013 10:55 PM

wow

im floored that made so much sernse i do believe in God and judiasm but its good to hear the reason why i do thank you rav kelleman!

(4)
W. Lawrence Lipton,
May 12, 2013 8:47 PM

Initial Lie?

The evolution of the religion which became Judaism is provided in "Grandpa Was A Deity" (2011); there is even a mathematical proof (of sorts) in Genesis & Exodus -- which is described in "Genesis of Genesis" (2012.The reality of Judaism is derived from the fact that it works -- in terms of what it demands in the physical world, and in terms of history ... if taken as an evolution of intelligence.Adding to the basic religious algorithm, the religions enumerated all "just change the names, with all else remaining the same." An earlier belief is renamed, and its beliefs are the redefine beliefs which the converts already held -- or popular stories (myths) adopted to serve the precess ensuring that key data will be remembered and repeated (ie, Noah's Flood).

Anonymous,
May 13, 2013 11:43 PM

...

Your idea of old beliefs being renamed for new religions would apply nicely to Christianity and Islam, which adopted Jewish texts with their own additions tacked on. To apply it to Judaism itself is a little more problematic because it has no monotheistic peers or predecessors.
I would be more interested to look into your books if you could briefly explain here how Judaism evolved along with its claim of 3 million eyewitnesses, with no generation gap to make the claim uncheckable?

(3)
H Hopp,
May 12, 2013 6:58 PM

It is not funny to make fun of other religions

matt,
May 13, 2013 11:46 AM

real fun

Do you mean that it's not polite ? If people laugh at the absurdity and irrationality of the very foundations of a religion that does not change the truth -value or lack thereof. Truth is hilarious especialy when you consider and realize some of the irrational and false notions that, amazingly, people still accept as true. Yes, it is funny.

David,
May 13, 2013 8:14 PM

Funny, maybe...

But not such a good idea. I have yet to find any religion (including my own!) which doesn't make a few risible claims. Believers in religion X are always keen on getting a good chuckle at the expense of the silliness held as truth by believers in religion Y. Oddly enough, they often find it offensive when those Y folks see something amusing about the preposterous notions adhered to by the followers of X.